Ebola in Covington?

Happy Monday!

Man, trying to apply for BYU and replying back to emails is such a crazy feat to do in a short little time. Especially as a missionary- college? What? Nooo, I'm going to be a missionary forever! :)

 

This week had it's ups and downs. We've been trying to get more members to come out with us, and it has been a success and sometimes not so much. It was upsetting when we've had appointments with male investigators, and then we had to cancel because our team up cancelled at the last minute and we couldn't find anyone else to go with us. But I loved this week because we were able to do a lot of service for many of the members in this ward. :) To painting the apartment we hopefully will move into, to gardening, and to setting up for a baby shower and taking it down.

 

One of the investigators that I absolutely love to meet with is R. The first time I met her she talked about how she can feel the love that someone has for God, but my love just bubbles out of me (hands motioning from her stomach up and out of her mouth) and how I have such a magnetic, radiating personality, and a sassy one at that! We were able to teach her more about the Plan of Salvation, and talk about the blessings of baptism. She was so close to committing to baptism, but I know that she's going to be baptized by the end of the year. She is such a solid investigator! She asked us if we could have someone come over to the house and bless her home because her granddaughter K. doesn't feel safe in her bedroom and she hears and sees things. We were able to get the blessing on R.'s home, and it went amazing. She really felt the spirit and we found out that our ward mission leader and his wife already knows her granddaughter K. Small world! She even asked to see us tonight although we just saw her on Sunday. :)

 

It was one of the coolest things ever- we give people our number all the time in case they need to call us, but I've never actually had a person call us before we first call them. The first Sunday I was here, we tracted into a guy named M. late in the evening before we had to go home. We were contemplating whether we should go home and do Twelve Week (training for Sister Stewart) or possibly get yelled at because it's late and 'we should be in bed already' as they so often say. But M. was very open with us, but we had to be quick because he had to be at an appointment at 4:30am for his work. I left the Savior's peace and blessings upon his home and family, and I was inspired to ask Heavenly Father that he would get better hours for his work, and that he would be able to spend more time with his family. He accepted a Book of Mormon, but he said that his work schedule is so hectic that he didn't know when we could meet with him, but he'll research our religion so it'll be good for him to read the Book of Mormon. 

 

Sister Stewart reminds me of ME when I first came out!  I can see why the President placed us together as companions. 

On Tuesday afternoon, we get a call from M. asking for the two ladies that came to his house on Sunday, because he received the blessing that we left him. He told us that when we asked him what we should pray for, he requested we pray for his family because he wants to be able to be a better provider for his family. On Monday he got a promotion at his job, and he knows it's because we prayed with him. M. said that he is very interested in learning more from us, and that we need to continue to spread the good news with everyone. We asked when we could come by and teach him more, but his schedule is going to become more permanent this upcoming week. He joked and said, "Don't worry, I already called you once, you know I'm going to call again." So he is such an awesome guy, and I'm so excited to teach him because he recognized the Spirit and how we literally represent Jesus Christ!

 

We were able to have our first lesson with C., (this is the wife of the couple we met last week that gave us a ride back to the church because it was getting dark) and she is such a talker haha! I knew that people in the South loved to talk, but I think it rings true even more here in Covington. She's excited to read the Book of Mormon, and she really wanted to come to the Trunk or Treat and church meetings last weekend. She's had cancer, and has been battling pneumonia two times this past year (she gets it for four months at a time and is quarantined to her home because she gets it bad.) So she was unable to make it, but really wanted to. She even read the pamphlet we gave her before we got there, and she wants us to put the Book of Mormon on her iPad when we go over there this week so she can listen and read it. We didn't have a dinner appointment on Thursday, so she took us out for Mexican, her treat. I loved hearing her pray because she prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for putting us in her life, and for the enlightenment that we've given her on our religion, and "who knows, maybe I'll come around one day." Do I hear the baptism font splashing with water in the future? :)  C.  told us that she and L. (her husband who went hunting) talked about how they wished that we were their granddaughters. Cutest Southern couple ever!

Oh yeah, we hear gunshots all the time, there's donkeys, mules, goats, and everything country here in Covington.  I love it here. :) Except for the fact that SO many people are hitting deer here. Pray that I don't hit any as I'm serving here!

 

One last story since I have to get going, but apparently there was this huge hoax that there was going to be three days of darkness in December before Christmas. It was all over Facebook, and they faked NASA confirming it. Let me tell ya, it scared the bejeebies out of Sister Stewart and I. We were reading Revelations and everything else about the signs of the Second Coming because we heard about that. We joked and wondered what we'd do in those three days--make calls to investigators and call them to repentance? We kid, we kid! But seriously, it was a long 24 hours before we found out on Halloween that it was false. But the same member DID tell us that there's an ebola potential in Newton County. Her husband was in Sierra Leon, and they don't know if he has it or not, so he's been in quarantine as well, and his wife works at the high school so that very well could affect hundreds and thousands of people. Let's pray fervently that he or she doesn't have it, because I'd rather not get evacuated from the mission and get transferred to a different one.

 

I hope all y'all had an amazing Halloween, and my quote for y'all this week is, "A happy person doesn't have the best of everything, they've simply learned how to find the best in everything."

Love y'all!

-Sister Sudweeks